Race and Language

After reading the claims made by Burke in, “Terministic Screens,” about how language and word choice directly shapes our understanding, I can see how some of these principles can be directly attributed to the claims made by Hum in, “Racialized Gaze as Design,” in regards to racial attribution. I would like to take the time to take some of the practical’s that Hum is arguing she has seen happen in race portrayal and relate them to Burke’s idea of terministic screens. While reflecting on some of the ways that these texts relate, I found myself wondering a larger question. Can the idea of terministic screens relate to images? What are we saying about a situation by what we either choose to highlight or even leave out of our image?

In her essay, Hum explains that racial understanding and representation is shaped by our own conceptual understanding on the world around us (Hum, 210). Hum shows us that a historically marginalized or misrepresented group receives their own representation in the public sphere through a series of political, social, and cultural practices (Hum, 210). These practices lead a direct establishment of a group as either lesser or hyper realized, in which a stereotype associated with the group is traditionally highlighted or pointed to. In “Terminisitic Screens,” Burke provides us with the dramatistic definition of language. Burke claims that, in nature, dramatistic language is a selection of reality (Burke, 45). In advertisements, images, and other moments of representation of a group, we see a selection of what is being represented. To Burke, this representation is the terministic screen. To Hum, this process leads to a possible marginalization of a group.

Hum recognizes in her piece that often, a group is hyper represented in an effort to, in turn, stress specific representation of another entity or social group (Hum, 201). By focuses on physical characteristics of a minority in imaging, an artist can then contrast with a realistic translation of another group. This is a selective process that Burke would point to as terms put together (Burke, 49). This is an idea in Terministic Screens that specific ideas associate or disassociate principle ideas. That we, as an audience, take the terms associated and translate them into a reality. Hum believes that while this highlighting can build up representation on one group, it leads to a forfeiture of another’s depiction.

In comparing the principle ideas outlined by Hum and Burke, it is important to consider that Hum illustrates a situation highly dependent on the idea of racialized gaze, a habit for perceiving race-related visual phenomena (Hum, 192). The concepts outlined by Burke are still very applicable in the context of imaging. The main idea that Burke focuses in on is the idea that we utilize terministic screens, our representation on an event or idea, to create and showcase our reality to others (Burke, 46).

In images, Hum takes issue with the specifics of racialized representation, a reality that an individual has constructed to advocate their own perceptions. Hum points to the example of the image, “The Chinese Question,” by Nast (Hum, 200). In this image, Hum explains that the message encoded in the image is actually progressive, a protection of the Chinese. It ‘s in the portrayal of Asian man, that Hum sees racialized gaze. He is physically portrayed in a stereotypical manner. The white woman, who serves as his protection, is emphasized in comparison to his racialized portrayal. In this example, Burke would point to the progressive message mixed with a racialized portrayal. This decision made by Nast shows an acknowledgment of the understood opinion of the public. Nast leans into this perception and adds his progressive message. To Burke, terministic screens aren’t an optional tool, but intrinsically necessary (Burke, 50). We must use these screens in order to convey our own messaging or ideas.

Burke’s terministics screens are a principle that isn’t solely related to language. This is a principle that relates to perception in a larger sense. In imaging, the stylistic choices point to the use of terministic screens. As Hum views racialized gaze, we can see how many of the issues and principles she points to are a result of terministic screens. Whatever is highlighted or even left out of the image, is a stylistic choice, a result of a larger effort to create a reality or perception related to terministic screens.

-Kiernan Doyle

Burke, Kenneth. “Terministic Screens.” In Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature, and Method. Berkeley: U of California P, 1966. 44-57.

Hum, Sue. “‘Between the Eyes’: The Racialized Gaze as Design.” College English 77.3 (Jan 2015): 191-215.